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Modeled after a popular New York restaurant, the groundbreaking technique turns typically wasted external salad greens into a luxurious herbaceous emulsion. It’s an brilliant way to minimize kitchen waste while making something delicious and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

Those outer leaves are nature’s protective wrapping, shielding the tender inside lettuce. Although composting produce trimmings is one basic zero-waste habit, discovering new uses for them is additionally impactful. Converting excess food into rich compost avoids landfill accumulation, where they can release greenhouse gases, a powerful environmental issue.

It’s rather radical if you consider about it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect growing medium to nourish more plants, thus closing the loop and respecting nature’s process of growth.

However, with more than 30% surplus produce getting made than required, consuming precious ingredients wisely becomes essential. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes the increasingly sustainable way of living.

This Green Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe works with any variety of lettuce and nuts. By using a whole egg, you avoid the need to use up the leftover egg white. This outcome is an smooth, nutty dressing that works beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad leaves from two little gems, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted nuts – light-colored nuts like blanched almonds assist maintain a vivid color, though any nuts can do
• 1 medium entire egg

For the Salad

• Two little gem heads, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch fresh greens (like chervil), sprigs left whole, stems finely minced

Steps

Begin by preparing the emulsion. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, toss in the outer lettuce greens, cover and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they have softened. Pour the contents into a container of an immersion blender, add the nuts and egg, then process till smooth. If needed, incorporate extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Store in a airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each gem portion with olive oil and acid, then season liberally. Dress with a tight drizzle of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and serve right away.